2003 X5 Blower motor issues, help appreciated!
 

Hello, I have an issue with an X5 in the shop, It came in with a 'no blower fan working.' Most of us would immediately suggest the Final Stage Resistor as the no-brainer fix, well, I tried 2 different 'known working' FSR's, no luck with the blower. I checked all the connected fuses, (in this case 34 and 61 if i recall correctly. all good) Then i checked the wiring to the FSR, voltage where i needed it, and variable voltage to the two pins that receive the signal from the fan speed switch (the digital dual climate control module in the dash) There is proper grounding at the FSR.
Ive also pressed the automatic air recycle switch to open the blower panel above the FSR and observed the fan blades NOT spinning, then i put my hand in the opening (it was tight!!) and spun the fan freely by hand, nothing stopping it or binding, it rotated smoothly!
So, i hunkered down, and pulled out the dash, it was a long drawn out job!
the center console needs to be loosened, and slid up and back. I removed the two torx bolts that hold the steering to the dash bracing, it was easier (in this case) than pulling steering wheel air bag, steering wheel, and turn levers.!! with the dash out, i took out old blower motor, and observed that the brushes were worn down quite a bit, as well as they had dug into the armature about 1/8 inch. After changing out the blower fan motor, i reassembled the dash and installed the guage cluster, heater controls, radio and passenger side air bag. then I reconnected the battery ( i ALWAYS disconnect the battery when i work around airbags!!!!)
everything powered up normally............ except the blower motor fan!
so i am stumped!! any one have any ideas what i might have missed!??

Did you test the blower motor function before reinstalling the dash? Are the "known good FSR" at least the updated style (black plastic base and heat sink spikes) vs. old style of all metal?

Perhaps a new, genuine FSR? I had an issue with a "known good" FSR which in the end wasn't good at all - and changed it in winter (-5 C or so) for a new one from my dealer. Has been working fine since then (3+ years and counting).

Can you test that voltage is indeed reaching your fan motor? What fault codes do you have?

Absolutely positive you seated the fan motor connector? Doublecheck the connector to the HVAC panel, although if that powered up, likely not an issue.

edit: also check fuses 3, 48 and 64 up front/behind the glove box.

I did double check the connector at the blower motor, it was good!
I did not check the blower function when I installed the new one, I had the battery disconnected and didn’t reconnect it until I had the dash and other components back installed! I used an known good final stage resistor ( one out of my personal X5!! It’s a genuine bmw part! So I know it works!! The blower didn’t spin with that one installed!!
I get no errors or codes when I scan it (using my foxwell nt510 scantool)
I’ve looked through my Bentley manual and it looks like the connector from the blower motor to the fsr is a short piece!
I may have to pull the dash again and recheck my work!!

Did you happen to check the tightness/grip of the female terminal ends of the harness at the FSR?The heat generated at the resistor block causes the terminals to loose their tension after a while.I've seen the wires actually melted there.Could be as simple as a bad connection.That's all mine was on my 02 X5.

If you remove the heater control panel can you determine if you can jumper past the controls? What happens if you turn on the AC?